The invention relates to diagnostic and prognostic methods for psychotic disorders such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other disorders characterized by abnormal expression of metabolic genes.
Psychotic disorders such as bipolar disorder (BPD) are among the top ten causes of disability worldwide. BPD, in particular, is responsible for a national annual economic burden of over $40 billion (estimated in 1991). While the etiology of BPD and other psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia remain largely unknown, recent findings point to a disturbed mitochondrial energy metabolism in such subjects.
BPD causes dramatic mood swings, affects between 1 to 3% of the population in the US and is associated with high risk of suicide. In the case of BPD, recent studies have shown decreased hippocampal (HIP) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) levels of creatine kinase mRNA, as well as decreased levels of high-energy phosphates in the frontal and temporal lobes of BPD patients, providing support for the idea that mitochondrial energy metabolism plays an important role in the etiology of the disease. Previously, a down-regulation in nuclear mRNA coding for mitochondrial electron transport proteins in post-mortem hippocampal tissue from patients with BPD had been reported.
BPD, along with other psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, are diagnosed based on the course of symptoms and family history, but the etiology of such disorders remains elusive. Previously, no clinical tests existed to verify diagnosis. Thus, there is a need for improved diagnostic and prognostic techniques for psychotic disorders.